CRIME

5 years ago

Vandals Hit Chicago's Gay Pride Parade

Frank Polich / Reuters

Vandals attempting to besmirch Chicago's 42nd annual Gay Pride Parade punctured the tires on 51 floats, which were reported damaged early this morning. Luckily, 20 minutes before the parade's scheduled start, all but 12 floats had been repaired. Parade coordinator Richard Pfeiffer said the float company staff and parade participants were "working feverishly" to replace the damaged tires, and that the parade would still start on time even if they had to rearrange the order of the floats. Openly gay state Rep. Kelly Cassidy's float was among the damaged, but she remained positive. Her girlfriend, a New York native, said she thought the parade would be a success and that "New York is going to be a huge catalyst."